


a space to watch things grow

by celaenos



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Ultimates, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Earth-1610, Friendship, Gen, Post-Movie, it's a hard life being a clone, so i fixed that, the one SINGLE flaw of this film was its lack of jess drew
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 14:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17326667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celaenos/pseuds/celaenos
Summary: Jessica rolls her eyes twenty-seven times during their coffee excursion. Miles counts.





	a space to watch things grow

Miles is in the middle of practicing a new flip on top of a building when someone slams into him.

“Hey,” a voice says, almost familiar. It’s pitched higher, and Miles can’t ping it, but they’re wearing a spider-suit that he has never seen before. Red and white, mostly, long brown hair spilling out and face hidden behind a mask.

“Hey?” he says back. “Um… did you… we…” he trails off, helplessly. “Were you here when the whole… universe thing happened?”

“Universe thing?” she laughs.

“Um, yeah?” Miles tugs himself up from the floor and sticks out his hand. “Hey, I’m Miles.”

“I think that telling me your name defeats the purpose of the whole… mask thing,” she points out.

“Oh… right.” Miles moves to run a hand through his hair, but it’s tucked up into the mask. He keeps the other hovering in the space between their bodies. She’s taller than him, a bit more muscle to her, probably older and there is something about her voice… “Well, the others all know me,” he shrugs.

“Others?”

“Um…” Miles tugs his mask off. “How much do you know about the whole, other dimensions, world-ending thing that happened a few months ago?”

“Heard about it,” she says, shrugging one shoulder.

“You’re — um, so, I’m Miles,” he holds his hand out a bit more forcefully.

“Jessica,” she says, looking down at his hand but not taking it.

“Hi,” Miles waves to make things less awkward, but from the way that Jessica chuckles, it has the opposite effect.

“Nice to meet you, Miles,” she says and leaps off the building.

“YOU TOO!” he hollers at her retreating form.

…

…

Jessica shows up at his dorm room window two weeks later.

Ganke looks up from his laptop and yelps before Miles can do anything. He catches him before he falls and hits his head on the floor at least. Jessica looks slightly sheepish through her mask.

“Sorry,” she says, once Miles goes over and opens the window.

“S’fine,” Ganke says. “I’m just gonna…” he points towards the door and then disappears through it, leaving Miles and Jessica alone.

“Hey,” he says, giving her a wave. She laughs and climbs inside. “How’d you know where I live?”

“You told me your name. Also, you’re really easy to follow.”

“I… don’t think that’s true.”

“It is.”

“So, where do I find _you?_ ” he asks.

“You don’t,” Jessica says.

“Um—”

Ganke runs back into the room. “Sorry, sorry, sorry,” he mutters. “I forgot my phone and I need—” he grabs it, salutes, and runs back out, hollering, “BYE, NICE TO MEET YOU SPIDER-LADY,” over his shoulder.

“Woman,” she mutters. “It’s Spiderwoman.”

“This is gonna be awesome,” he says, and before he can think about it further, Miles jumps forward and pulls her into a tight hug, grinning at her. And he swears, she rolls her eyes at him through the mask.

“Please stop touching me,” she says after a minute or so. Miles releases her and starts firing questions, one after the other and she just stands there and stares at him, saying nothing. After a minute, she finally pulls up the mask, slow, and Miles gasps.

“You — you look like Peter!” he exclaims. “How — I’m so confused. What universe are you from? How are you still here? Why aren’t you glitching?”

Jessica covers his mouth with her palm. “Let me change. Do you know a good coffee place anywhere around here?”

Miles grins. “I got you, girl.”

“Never say that to me again.”

“That’s a copy,” Miles salutes.

…

…

Jessica rolls her eyes twenty-seven times during their coffee excursion. Miles counts. She sits there and looks like a leaner, shorter, longer-haired version of Peter and tells him that she is a clone.

Not from this universe. Sort of. That bit is fuzzy and unclear to them both, because this _feels_ like her universe, except for the bits where it doesn’t, quite. Neither of them tries to think about it too much. Jessica already seems slightly uncomfortable talking about memories that don’t feel like her own, that are Peter’s. Memories that belong to a dead man. She's not glitching and she's okay and she's here and that's all Miles really needs to know. 

“How old are you?” Miles asks, sipping at his tea.

Jessica shrugs. “I guess somewhere around twenty, at least. Maybe older? I’m a clone. I don’t think it really matters.”

“Sure it does,” Miles says. “When’s… what’s the first day that you remember?”

“What?”

“Like, the date?”

“I’ve seen my files, if that’s what you’re asking. I was created ten years ago.”

“What day?”

“What?”

“What day?” Miles repeats.

“May 8th, I think. Why?”

“Oh!” Miles says, cheerful. “Your birthday’s coming up soon, then.”

Jessica’s face does something complicated and unreadable and Miles slouches down a little in his seat. Neither of them says anything for a moment or so, the sounds of other conversations and the espresso machine filling up the awkward silence.

“Have you — I mean, have you gone and seen May?” If Miles thought that Jessica was closed up and tense before, she absolutely folds into herself now. Miles wants to smack himself, instead, he pushes through. “I just meant — she’s really nice. She helped me a lot when — I mean, the whole, Multiple Universes World Ending Thing a few months back.”

“Right, that.” Her voice cracks.

“Are you — I can go with you, if you want?”

For a second, Miles thinks maybe Jessica might reach over this table and smack him right across the face. The thought must cross her mind too, because she goes even more tense at the thought and then she releases a strangled noise.

“Or, we don’t have to — I don’t have to —”

“Okay,” Jessica whispers.

Miles pauses mid-sentence and looks up from his tea to meet her face. “Okay?”

“Okay,” she repeats. Firmer. Miles watches as she pushes away from the table, leaving some money down on top and waits for him to follow.

“Oh, you meant like — like _now_.”

“If you don’t want to—”

“Nope! That’s great!” Miles says, too-chipper. He shoves away from the table too, spilling the last of his tea and grimacing. Jessica is vibrating with nervous energy. Miles thinks for half a second about slinging his arm around her shoulder and then thinks better of it. “This is gonna be great,” he declares.

Jessica looks like she might vomit on his shoes.

…

…

May cries.

Miles stands there and tries to suck air into his lungs and Jessica goes rock hard and then wobbly the second that May gets her arms around Jess properly. She calls her that—Jess—Miles doesn’t even think that she notices, but Jessica does. May calls her Jess and Jessica sucks in a watery breath and her limbs stop working. Miles feels like he’s intruding, now, but he told Jessica that he’d go with her and it feels wrong to leave without saying anything and interrupting them now seems even worse. He decides to slip into the kitchen and make them both some tea. That feels like something he can handle.

When the kettle whistles, both of them look up from their weird conversation and stare at him. He is pretty sure that they both forgot that he was even here. He opts not to be offended. Lots of emotions are happening. 

“Um, I made tea,” he says, though it’s obvious from the mugs in his hands. “I — I can go.”

“No—” Jessica stops herself, voice cracking on the word and she won’t look May in the face.

“Or… I can stay?”

“You both should stay,” May says. “I have plenty of tea.”

So, Miles sits down in a chair that only a few months ago, his uncle picked up and chucked at Peter B’s head. He barely lets his back touch it, knees bouncing up and down the whole time, jittery. Jessica looks up and frowns at him. Miles presses his palms together and lists all the kinds of tea that he enjoys, after May asks.

Jessica starts rolling her eyes and looking a hell of a lot calmer, so Miles feels a bit like he’s doing something right and keeps on talking.

…

…

They don’t really talk about it, but they just start training together. It becomes a routine. Miles goes to school, blasts through his homework and then swings around on top of buildings with Jessica.

Jessica, who has organic webbing. Which Miles is _not_ jealous of at all.

She smirks, when May helps show him how Peter made his, reconfiguring how the wrist-clasps work to keep them even more secure than they had been before. Jessica shoots the stuff right out of her skin and hangs upside-down above them till May tells her not to show off and go make some more coffee. She kisses the side of her head once she hops down and walks past, though, shocking Jessica just like it does every time that it happens. Jessica grew up in a lab. Memories of May’s easy affection swirling around her brain but not realized in actuality, and it confuses and delights her once they mix up together.

She punches Miles off a building when he has the gall to bring it up.

“I WAS JUST TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION!” he yells, falling and shooting out a web in half a blink.

Jessica follows. “Have a conversation about something else,” she says, only a bit tersely. She’s _trying,_ which Miles knows, but he doesn’t have a lot of experience with girls who are genetic clones of people who saved him and grew up in labs without parents. Miles’s dad is trying to be the greatest dad ever _and_ also maybe adopt Spiderman, so.

Apples and oranges, and all that.

“Your dad is back,” Jessica says, half a beat later. Miles looks down to where she is pointing and frowns as Jefferson waves up at the two of them. He thinks that Jessica is young enough to be adopted too. Miles hopes that he never ever finds out she's technically only been alive ten years. He'll work out some sort of shared custody with May and never let Jessica out of his sight. He'll do way more embarrassing things to her than tell her that he loves her over an intercom. 

Huh, maybe Miles should tell him. 

“Hey kids!” he hollers up at them. Both wince. Jefferson whisper-yells, “sorry,” clearing his voice exaggeratedly, he adds, “hello Spider-people. How has your day been?”

“Your dad is a weirdo,” Jessica mutters.

“Yeah,” Miles says, fondly, and waves. “You like him though.”

Jessica shoots out a web and swings above Jefferson, swiping his hat right off his head. “A bit,” she yells, smirking.

…

…

Jessica will _not_ talk about MJ.

The one single time that Miles mentions her—off hand, not even thinking, she was on the tv and he didn’t _know—_ Jessica goes so quiet and tense that Miles is terrified that she is having a heart attack, maybe.

“Jess—” he panics, “are you—”

“Let’s go patrol,” she says, too sharp, too raw, she won’t look him in the eye. And _oh,_ shit. Miles had no idea. He should have. She has _all of_ Peter’s memories. She remembers being in love with MJ.

She still is.

Miles… probably shouldn’t, but definitely does, relay this bit of information to May and the two of them try to compel Jessica into talking about her feelings and maybe sussing out whether or not they should start inviting MJ over for weekly tea.

“WHAT?” Jessica shrieks.

“I mean… I think she likes oolong?” Miles shrugs. “Right, May?”

“She doesn’t,” Jessica snaps. “Why are you — _no,_ ” she insists. “The answers is no. Do not invite MJ over for tea. Please.”

It’s _not_ Miles fault, but May does not entirely listen to her. 

MJ is surprised to see two Spider (people? They haven’t worked out group names, yet. Miles is working on it. Jessica doesn’t care). She covers well, though. It’s been months since Peter’s death and Miles and the rest of them fixed the universe. MJ knows that they exist.

Miles is pretty sure that she didn’t know May was friends with them both, though.

“He’s… a kid,” she gasps, looking at Miles. He harrumphs and crosses his arms and probably only serves to prove her point, but—

Whatever.

“A tough one,” May counters, proud. “But yes,” she points at his face. “Which is why he has some supervision.”

“May—” he protests.

Jessica clamps a hand over his mouth. It’s the first that she has moved since she saw MJ standing in May’s kitchen. “He’s tough as hell,” she says. “More my supervision than the other way around.”

Miles preens.

“Do I—” MJ frowns, and steps closer. “You sound sort of familiar.”

“Yeah,” Jessica croaks. “I’m not,” and with that, she shoots May a death glare, and then a web up to the sky, and then she is gone, leaving Miles and May and MJ standing there together awkwardly.

“Soooo, nice to meet ya,” Miles waves and then chases after.

…

…

Ganke spins around in his chair and starts talking about what Mrs. Yang told them in fifth period, picking up their conversation as if no time at all has passed. He’s started doing that lately. Miles kind of likes him a lot. They’re sort of friends?

Same way that he and Jessica are sort of friends. Neither of them talks about it and both of them are a little abrasive but they keep talking to Miles and seem to want him around and do nice things for him.

So.

It’s not bad.

Jessica shows up as Miles and Ganke are gearing up for a _Lord of the Rings_ marathon and he’s gotta be honest, he’s a little disappointed to have to go out and fight real crime instead.

Jessica punches a lot harder than usual. She’s terser. She only gives Miles one word answers and nearly flattens the mugger into the pavement. She’s shaking, when they swing up to the top of a building and catch their breaths. Miles tugs his mask up and steps closer, wary, like he’s approaching a wild animal. Jessica bursts into tears and then Miles jumps forward and slides his arms around her. It takes her a second, but she goes limp in his arms and clings back, her whole body shaking with sobs. “It’s just… first May… and now MJ… _fuck,_ I’m sorry,” she gasps. Miles rubs her back and whispers the Spanish lullaby his mom always used to tell him, whenever he got scared as a kid, until Jessica can almost breathe normally again. She pushes herself away from him gently, not bothering to wipe away her tears. “I’m sorry Miles,” she says. “I’m older than you, I shouldn’t have put that on you. You’ve got enough of your own problems. I’m okay.”

“Technically, I think maybe _I’m_ older—if they made you ten years ago,” he grins.

As expected, Jessica pushes him off the roof. Miles retaliates by shooting his web out and yanking her down with him, sticking his tongue out at her.

“I’ve got 26 years worth of memories,” she counters. “Also, I’m physically older than you. And stronger.”

“So…” Miles swings her around and she shrieks. “Call it even, then?”

Jessica snaps the web, catches him in her own, and flings him up into the air, grinning. “Fine,” she laughs, loud and bright. “We can call it even. _For now._ ”

Miles cheers and flips his body around. His dad still doesn’t know that he is Spiderman. He’s still trying to find a way to legally adopt a child vigilante. May and Jessica are still tentative with each other, working out how to navigate their relationship—though, he knows that Jessica sleeps there more often than not, lately. He’s got no idea what will happen if (when, it feels like, as he looks over and watches the crease forming between Jessica’s eyebrows) MJ ever finds out the whole truth of Jessica’s existence. But somehow, he’s not too worried. Jessica swings beside him, her face lighter than it’s been since he met her, probably. The two of them crawl through Miles’s window and Ganke spins around, sighing, _finally,_ and hits play.

Jessica tugs her mask up off her face, slow, and settles in beside Miles on the bottom bunk, legs tucked up beneath her, accepting the popcorn that Ganke passes over, as _The Lord of the Rings_ begins to play on the computer screen. Gnake fist pumps and Jessica smiles and Miles leans back, kicking off his boots and beaming. His parents might not know _yet,_ but they will, soon. Miles's shoulder is pressed up against Jessica's, and she doesn’t shove him off, this time. She turns over and smiles at him and calls him a nerd.

Neither of them are alone, now, and they probably never will be again.


End file.
